ChorltonV Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 My brother recently moved into a new house and the previous owner left a really interesting looking bass guitar behind, said they didn't want it any more. I've no idea what it is. Does anyone know? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happypants Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 Kramer DMZ? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BreadBin Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 That's a hell of a thing to leave behind! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChorltonV Posted December 31, 2021 Author Share Posted December 31, 2021 My thoughts exactly, I couldn't quite fathom it. Its a heavy beast and I've never seen a bass with that type of neck before, really unusual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BreadBin Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 33 minutes ago, ChorltonV said: My thoughts exactly, I couldn't quite fathom it. Its a heavy beast and I've never seen a bass with that type of neck before, really unusual. I'd be happy to give it a home 🤣 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulThePlug Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 Ally Neck 'n Danazios... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 WOW that's a bonus if ever i saw one. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Horse Murphy Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 Make sure it's not structural! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WinterMute Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 it's a Kramer neck for sure, very difficult to fake an ally neck, but the body looks a bit odd to me. Kramer hybrid of some sort? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reggaebass Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 Could be this model, it has the same bridge 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 2nd hand i reckon its worth anywhere from £500 - £1000 depending on condition. Dave 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maude Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 Didn't the Boomtown Rats bassist use a Kramer? I remember the headstock from Rat Trap on TOTP years ago. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 3 minutes ago, Maude said: Didn't the Boomtown Rats bassist use a Kramer? I remember the headstock from Rat Trap on TOTP years ago. I remembered that one too. Not sure what model he used tho. ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyJohnson Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 21 minutes ago, Maude said: Didn't the Boomtown Rats bassist use a Kramer? I remember the headstock from Rat Trap on TOTP years ago. I remember him with a Travis Bean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maude Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 26 minutes ago, NancyJohnson said: I remember him with a Travis Bean. Well that's odd, because as soon as I saw the OPs picture Travis Bean popped into my head. It must've been a subliminal Rats connection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickA Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 My word. Quite a freebie. Have to hope the guy who abandoned it doesn't read basschat. Lots in common between Travis beans and Kramer's: "Kramer and Bean parted ways in 1975, with the former starting Kramer Guitars. The first series of Kramer guitars were redesigned aluminum-necked instruments but utilizing wooden inserts along the back of the neck to cut down on weight and provide a more traditional feel; these modifications also avoided patent infringement of Travis Bean's original neck design" If it was a Travis bean it would be worth £5k. As it's the Kramer "not a copy honest guv" must still be worth £1k or more. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RhysP Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 Looks like the body has been stripped & the knobs aren't original, but that's a very nice bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 3 hours ago, Reggaebass said: Could be this model, it has the same bridge While it is a slightly modified DMZ5000, the bridge is the least consistent thing about Kramers from that era. It could just as likely have sported a Badass or a Schaller 3D from new. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr4stringz Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 Wowzer. Love these. All I’ve ever had left behind in houses I’ve bought are dodgy wiring and glossed woodchip! Tell him I’ll have it for 50p and a pickled egg. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaggy Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 8 hours ago, ChorltonV said: My brother recently moved into a new house and the previous owner left a really interesting looking bass guitar behind, said they didn't want it any more. I've no idea what it is. Does anyone know? Hell of a find! As said above, control knobs non-original. Coincidentally; one sold only recently on here: 6 hours ago, dmccombe7 said: I remembered that one too. Not sure what model he used tho. ? Thats a Kramer 450B in the pic, I think he was more usually seen with the 650B (as in the TOTP studio footage of “Rat Trap” ) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3below Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 4 hours ago, BigRedX said: While it is a slightly modified DMZ5000, the bridge is the least consistent thing about Kramers from that era. It could just as likely have sported a Badass or a Schaller 3D from new. +1 above. The bridge is the same as my DMZ4001. What a great freebie, superb basses, great string clarity and lack of deadspots . You will find criticism about tuning stability, I have never experienced this despite using mine in wildly changing temperatures. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grahambythesea Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 Great free bass. A friend had a one and I recall being told that the downside to the aluminium neck was that the frets were integral and therefore not renewable if they got it worn down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3below Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 (edited) 1 hour ago, Grahambythesea said: Great free bass. A friend had a one and I recall being told that the downside to the aluminium neck was that the frets were integral and therefore not renewable if they got it worn down. The frets on mine (original) look like the regular press/hammer in the slots ones that we find everywhere (the advertising at the time mentions Petillo "center-touch" fret wire, whatever that was/is?) . I do not envisage any refret problems other than possible Ebanol board chipping. The thread has inspired me to get mine out and use it at band this week Cancel that, covid bullet near miss has just impacted the domestic nest ☹️ testing, testing 123 or somesuch if any tests were available. Edited January 4, 2022 by 3below covid-19 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 14 hours ago, Grahambythesea said: Great free bass. A friend had a one and I recall being told that the downside to the aluminium neck was that the frets were integral and therefore not renewable if they got it worn down. I've not come across any aluminium-necked instruments where the frets were integral to the neck. Not even on on the Born To Rock F4B or the Andreas "Shark" instruments which have aluminium fingerboards. The Born To Rock used inlayed round "wire" and the Andreas had standard frets. As has already been said the Kramer has standard frets fitted to an Ebanol fingerboard (it's the stuff that bowling balls are made out of), so it shouldn't be any more difficult to refret than any other instrument with a traditional close-grain hard wood fingerboard. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleabag Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 On 31/12/2021 at 12:06, Maude said: Didn't the Boomtown Rats bassist use a Kramer? I remember the headstock from Rat Trap on TOTP years ago. Dont remember that but do remember Quo's Alan Lancaster playing a Kramer, though a different model to the OP's. Lancaster also played a Bean at some point Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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